Snow mold

ABSTRACT

This invention is directed to a mold suitable for use in making snow block such as would be used by a child in constructing a snow fort or other structure from snow blocks.

United States Patent 1191 111 3,848,846 Ebner Nov. 19, 1974 [54] SNOW MOLD 3,685,942 8/1972 Shaffer 425/276 [75] Inventor: Edwin D. Ebner, New City, NY. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: The Raylmnd Lee o 224,395 11/1924 Great Britain 249/74 Inc,, New York, NY. a part interest Primary Examiner-J. Howard Flint, Jr. [22] 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Howard l. Podell [21] Appl. No.: 403,959

52 us. (:1 249/66, 249/117, 425/1510. 57 B T 51 lt.Cl ..B28b734 E58; F ield of Search 249/66 74 l l7- mvemlo" dlrected to a mold Sultable for use m 425/DlG making snow block such as would be used by a child in constructing a snow fort or other structure from [56] References Cited Snow blocks UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 3,572,625 3/1971 Williamson 249/117 SNOW MOLD SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a novel apparatus for the manufacture of solid, snow-building blocks which can be rapidly and simply formed and then removed from the apparatus and assembled to form the desired structure.

The prior art shows many types of molds suitable for the molding of liquids or semi-solids. The snow mold of this invention incorporates improvements for the molding of snow or like material. Molded snow objects removed from the molds of this invention do not break during removal. Furthermore, the mold of this invention can be readily used outdoors by a child at play to construct structures such as snow forts, igloos and the like.

It is a further object to provide a mold capable of forming molded snow blocks of essentially uniform configuration. Such blocks can be readily used to construct snow forts or igloos which heretofore could only be constructed by hand cutting snow blocks from compacted snow or by hand forming blocks of non-uniform configuration from loose snow.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mold whereby the molded object may be placed in the desired position and the mold then readily removed from the molded object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects of the present invention will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the mold of the present invention showing a molded object placed in position and prior to the mold being removed therefrom; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mold removal strap;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the mold of the present invention, enclosing a molded object; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the invention.

It will be understood that the drawings as referred to above merely illustrate several preferred embodiments of the present invention and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a mold body having end walls 11 and 12 and opposed elongated side walls 13 and 14, joined to a flat top plate 15. Mold removal strap 18 passes through slots 26 in each side 13 and 14 of mold body 10.

The mid-section 38 of strap 18 is fastened to a tension spring 30 which is in turn fastened through slot 31 in the top plate 15 of the mold body 10 to a button 32. Spring 30 retains strap 18 so as to return strap 18 into mold body 10 after the strap handles 20 are released.

In operation, snow 25 is packed into the mold body 10, and when filled, the mold body 10 is carried to the position in which the molded block is to be placed. Mold body 10 is inverted and the handles 20 are grasped in both hands and pulled in an upward or sidewise direction. As the handles are so pulled, a downward force is applied to the top of block 25 causing mold body 10 to ride upwardly on a strap 18 until mold body 10 is removed from block 25. Release of the strap handles 20 results in spring 30 drawing the strap back into the mold body 10.

While tension spring 30 has been shown formed of bent flat spring metal sheet, other tension members may be substituted for spring 30, such as a rubber band or elastic material wrapped about strap 18 and fitted through the top plate 15 of the mold body.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention maybe constructed of a number of suitable materials including plastics or light weight metals which may, if desired, have the surfaces contacting the materials to be molded, coated with a non-stick material such as Teflon.

A molded removal plate may be attached to the strap in the bottom of the mold, as an alternate method to remove the molded object.

While the invention has been described by means of the foregoing embodiments, it will be apparent the claims are not to be limited thereto, reference being had to the appended claims for definition of the scope of the present invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a hollow mold body having a mold body top plate and at least one mold removal strap adapted to rest on the top plate of said mold body, said strap passing through slots in each of two side plates of the mold body, together with tension spring means to hold the mid-section of the strap to the mold body top plate when the strap is free of externalforce.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which one end of the tension spring means is fastened to the midsection of the mold removal strap with the other end of the tension spring means fastened to the mold body top plate.

3. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the mold removal plate is attached to the mold removal 

1. In combination, a hollow mold body having a mold body top plate and at least one mold removal strap adapted to rest on the top plate of said mold body, said strap passing through slots in each of two side plates of the mold body, together with tension spring means to hold the mid-section of the strap to the mold body top plate when the strap is free of external force.
 2. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which one end of the tension spring means is fastened to the mid-section of the mold removal strap with the other end of the tension spring means fastened to the mold body top plate.
 3. The combination as recited in claim 1 in which the mold removal plate is attached to the mold removal strap. 